Quick Synopsis – Once a vicious street rat, Prudence Merriweather has clawed her way to the top of society and now enjoys newfound power as the Duchess of Talonsbury. Puck Reed, the Thief Lord of Talonsbury, once delighted in taking risks and humiliating the social elite at any cost but now lives a quieter criminal lifestyle. With a daughter of his own to protect, Puck tries to lay low and stay safe for her benefit.

When Prudence’s magic betrays her, she has no choice but to flee—and who better to smuggle her out of the city than her childhood best friend and former sweetheart, Puck Reed? With the help of old friends and new allies, they learn about Stormlash, a safe haven miles beyond the city walls where women and their magic can flourish beyond the oppressive eye of Leora’s religious fanatics. Stormlash may also hold the key to curing Bea’s illness. The challenge? Keep her alive long enough to get there. 

Song This Reminds Me Of – Labor by Paris Paloma

Publication Date – Sept. 9, 2025

Bookshop Link – Song of the Hell Witch by Taylor Hartley (Disclosure – I get a small commission if you use my link)

Content Notes – There is a lot of violence against women, children, and transwomen in this book. Some of it is off page and only referenced to like child abuse, rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence. There is an off-page miscarriage. There is misogyny, religious persecution, blood, gore, vomit, and other fun bodily fluids.

Spice Level – 🌶️

Overall Rating – ⭐⭐ out of 5

Review – I really liked the plot of this book, but there were so many details and choices that I just couldn’t love. First was the pacing. The first chapter of the book is like being dropped into a series that has already started and somehow, you’ve picked up the second book. There should have been a prologue or even a getting ready scene with Pru that shows her backstory and starts the worldbuilding. Being thrown into a scene where she is the Duchess and hearing grievances from people in her territory was jarring. Unfortunately, I had pacing issues like this throughout the book. Either there wasn’t enough backstory or too much. Like I enjoyed the backstory between Pru and Puck, but I’m not sure including all the little side stories was necessary to the plot. We get it there is a woman hating religion on the rise (sound familiar?).

I also had an issue with the magic system of the book. Women only come into their magic when experiencing a great negative event like war, death of a loved one, etc. Their powers (succubus, banshee, etc.) manifest as a result of the horrible events they’ve endured. I think the intent was to show that no matter what we endure we can become stronger, but it really kind of felt like getting beaten by your husband was the only way to have power.

I did like the bad guys in the story and how the novel portrays religious zealots. Is it a little heavy handed? Yes, but the portrayal easily shows how people in power will use religion to twist the public into believing measures that don’t actually benefit them. I loved the relationships of the women in this novel and that it showed how easy it is to include trans and nonbinary folks into our communities. Pru and Puck are fun characters to follow, and I do want to finish the series, I just hope the next book has better pacing. Also, I love that a lot of the characters have names I associate with Shakespeare.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.